Remembered
by edwardcullenrox6201901
Summary: In the blink of an eye, life can demand impossible decisions to be made. How do you choose when your choices all end the same?...Should she be changed? Should she die? All-Angela POV, Post BD, T to be safe
1. Reunion

I gazed at my reflection in the mirror. Perfect. Tonight was my sixth wedding anniversary. Ben had promised to take me to a nightclub. We'd leave the triplets with our neighbors, Michelle and Ronald Miller and their daughter, Shannon. I couldn't wait. Ever since we moved from Forks to Seattle, I had wanted to go to a nightclub. We were originally going to go for our first anniversary; however, the triplets were only a month old, and I didn't want to leave them.

Looking out the window, I smiled at all of the bright lights. At first, the lights, the crowds, and the sunlight had seemed strange and unusual, but now it was expected. I liked living in Seattle, and because of its proximity to Forks, Ben and I could visit our family and friends whenever we liked. Well, everyone except one. I hadn't seen my best friend, Isabella Swan for ten years. Ever since she got married to Edward Cullen the summer after graduation, we lost all contact with each other. I really missed her.

"Ang!" Ben called. "Ang, sweetheart, are you ready to go yet?"

"Yeah!" I yelled back. "Be there in a minute!" I checked my appearance one last time before hurrying down the stairs, where Ben was waiting in a tux. Wow. He looked stunning.

Nathan, Nicole, and Natalie, the triplets, were waiting too, clutching toys and coloring books. "You look pretty, Mommy," Nicole said.

"Thank you, honey," I replied. "Now be good at the Millers', okay? No fighting with Shannon."

"Okay, Mommy," they chorused. _Little angels._

"Come on," Ben said as he ushered them out the door.

As we walked up the Millers' front steps, a black cat appeared out from the side of the house. "Hey, Devil," I said fondly. "How are you?" The cat meowed in response.

The front door opened. "Mom! Why are you making me take out the garbage?! It's the stinkiest job in the world! No one likes it! This is so unfair! I—"

"Hey, Shannon," I said. "How are you?" She looked at me.

"Fine. But I'd be better if Mom didn't make me take out the dumb garbage."

Ben tried to hide a laugh, but I still saw it.

"Hi, Angela, Ben, Nicole, Nathan, Natalie," Michelle Miller said. She had heard us.

"Hey, 'Chelle," I answered. "Where's Ron?"

"He went to get the kids some pizza for dinner."

"You didn't have to go to all that trouble."

"I know, but the whole point is that the kids enjoy themselves." I nodded.

"We'll be back by eleven-thirty. If there's any trouble, don't hesitate to call us," I added.

"Have fun," Michelle told us.

"I intend to," Ben replied, with a mischievous grin. Michelle seemed to find that really funny. I shook my head at the two of them as I walked back to the car.

"Let's go," Ben said eagerly. As soon as I had my seat belt buckled, he reversed the car swiftly, and drove out into the street. When we reached the nightclub, we looked at it in dismay. It was packed.

"What should we do?" I asked Ben.

" I have an idea," he said mysteriously, and drove away. He went to another club, this one with a cheesy name, _Nights 'N' Lights_. It must be good though, because I could see many people inside, moving to the beat. "Come on," Ben said eagerly, as he pulled me to the entrance.

"This is nice," I said when we were inside. At that moment, the song changed. It was one of my favorites, _Please Don't Stop the Music_ by Rihanna.

_**It's gettin' late**__  
I'm makin' my way over to my favorite place  
I gotta get my body movin', shake the stress away  
I wasn't lookin' for nobody when you looked my way, possible candidate, yeah_

_Who knew, that you'd be up in here lookin' like you do  
You're makin' stayin' over here impossible  
Baby I must say, your aura is incredible, if you don't have to go, don't_

Ben and I moved onto the dance floor and started dancing.

When the song was over, I heard a sweet voice giggling. I was quite sure I had never heard such a perfect voice before, but I remembered something similar. A musical voice that I had heard over ten years ago, but I could never forget it. "_Do you mind if I drive Bella home tonight?"_The only time Edward Cullen had spoken to me directly. Even at his wedding, he had been too absorbed in Bella's beauty to talk much. I didn't blame him. She had looking amazing.

I turned and saw seven familiar faces. Edward, Emmett, Alice, Carlisle, and Esme Cullen, and Jasper and Rosalie Hale. They hadn't changed at all. Where was Bella? I looked at the brunette with Edward. That couldn't be Bella. Bella had brown eyes, not golden ones. The other unfamiliar girl had brown eyes, but she couldn't be Bella, because her hair was the same bronze color as Edward's. However, there was something familiar about the tall Native American. He turned around and I got a glimpse of his face. It was Jacob Black, Edward's competition for Bella's hand in marriage. What was he doing here?

Just then, the whole group locked eyes with me and Ben, and they looked at us guiltily. Suddenly, Alice bounded forward and hugged me. "Angela! It's been so long! How are you?"

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**A/N: First chapter!!! Review and let me know what you think!!!**


	2. Explanation

_Just then, the whole group locked eyes with me and Ben, and they looked at us guiltily. Suddenly, Alice bounded forward and hugged me. "Angela! It's been so long! How are you?"_

Edward and the brunette were following close behind. "I'm sorry for Alice," Edward said. "She's very happy to see you, and that probably made her very exuberant."

The brunette looked at me sheepishly, and smiled at me. "Who are you?" I asked.

"No, she suspects nothing," Edward told the girl softly.

"It will be okay," Alice said patting her on the back. "I saw it. Go ahead and tell her. I think it's time she knew the secret. She's always been a good friend."

"Ang, I'm gonna go get a drink," Ben said. I nodded.

"What secret?" I asked curiously.

The brunette smiled. "Angela, the last time we met was at my wedding. Do you remember me?"

I thought back to the last wedding I had been to, not counting my own. I looked past the golden eyes, and I saw the face of my best friend. "Bella?"

She nodded, and smiled. Edward placed his arms around her waist, and said, "Yes. It's my beautiful Bella."

"Why does she look like that? Why haven't any of you changed? Who's the girl with Jacob Black?"

Alice smiled. "That's a discussion for another time. You can come to our house tomorrow, or we can come to yours, and we'll tell our story. What's going on with you?"

I told her all about Nicole, Natalie, and Nathan. I talked about moving to Seattle. I told her about my wedding. I couldn't remember the last time I spoke so much.

Alice was engrossed in my story. Suddenly, her face went blank, and when she recovered, she seemed to have gone paler than usual. At the same time, Edward gasped, and Bella looked at him curiously. "Angela," she said in a strange voice, "do you have any pictures of your children?"

"Yeah," I answered. I fished around in my purse for a few moments until I found their school pictures. Alice took one look at them, and paled even more.

"Alice!" Jasper shouted, hurrying over to her. For some reason, he seemed to be moving a little too fast to be normal. "Alice, are you okay?"

"Nicole..." she mumbled. This was weird. What was going on? What was wrong with Nicole?

"Alice!" Jasper said again. Suddenly, I felt calming waves settle upon me, and I couldn't help but feel relaxed. This was _so_ strange.

Jasper looked at Edward, worried. He said something in a low voice, too quiet for me to hear. I could see Carlisle, Esme, Rosalie, Emmett, Jacob, and the other girl hurrying over.

Jasper's eyes widened. "What!"

"I know," Edward said.

Carlisle arrived, and he took control of the situation. Somehow, he seemed to know what was going on already. "Jasper, make sure Alice is okay, then take her to the house along with Esme. Edward, run to the house and take care of the child. Do whatever you can to prevent exposure. Jacob and Renesmee, get Ben and take him and Angela home as quickly as possible. Inform them on the way. I think you'll have to tell them the secret. However, please refrain from telling them everything, because I think we should all be present for that, especially Bella. Nessie, you can use your talent to calm them down. Take the Mercedes. Emmett, Rose, Bella, pretend to be paramedics, and bring the child home in an ambulance if Edward is too late to prevent anything. If that is the case, hold your breath. No exposure. Rosalie, I'm relying on your medical experience to try and keep her alive as long as possible, before I can come. I will run home and get things ready."

Nothing made sense. Running home. Holding breath in the ambulance. Telling the secret. Talent. Pretending to be paramedics. Medical experience. Everything was so confusing. Edward looked at me. "We'll answer all your questions later, I promise." It was like he knew what I was thinking.

"Alice, will it work?" Carlisle asked.

"No." she said, looking upset. "Not now. But something could change. It's hard to be sure."

Edward nodded. "Bye," he said. Kissing Bella's cheek, he hurried out of the door. Jasper, Alice, and Esme followed. The strange girl, who seemed to be called Renesmee, disappeared into the crowd, while Jacob remained at my side.

"I'm sorry, Angela," Bella whispered, as she, Emmett, Rosalie, and Carlisle left the club.

Renesmee returned, dragging Ben behind her. "Come on," she urged. "We have to go. Now."

Jacob ushered Ben and me out of the club. "Ang, what's going on?" he asked.

"I have no idea," I answered. "Alice said something about Nicole, and then everyone started running everywhere, as if something was seriously wrong. I don't know what to make of it."

"Did you hear anything?" Ben asked.

"Nothing."

We had reached a black Mercedes. "We have a car," I told Jacob. I felt more comfortable talking to him, since I had met him before.

"I know," he replied. "This is faster. Trust me. We need all the speed we can get."

"Why?" Ben asked. "Why should we come with you?"

"Nessie, please explain," Jacob said urgently. Renesmee nodded, and held open the backseat of the car.

"Please," she said softly. Her voice was beautiful; I hadn't noticed that inside the club.

I nodded, and gestured to Ben to sit down, too. He grumbled, and said, "How will we pick up the car?"

"We'll get it for you. Don't worry," assured Jacob.

"Right," I answered. Why wouldn't they tell us what was going on?

"Where are we going?" Ben asked. "Where are the triplets?"

"They're fine, right now." Renesmee said. "We don't know about later, though. Alice is the only one who can tell."

"Why? What's so special about Alice?"

"I'll tell you the whole story on the way. Don't worry," Renesmee whispered. "You'll be worrying enough in a little while. Relax while you can."

Ten minutes later, I was sitting comfortably in the back seat of the car, with Ben, while Renesmee told me the story. There was a comforting piano tune playing in the background.

"We're not human," she began. Not human? This better be a joke. "not completely human, anyway. I'm half-human, half-vampire, and Jake is half-human, half-wolf. The rest of our family are vampires. That's why we don't age. That's why we can move very, very quickly. That's why we look the way we do, you know, the beauty, golden eyes, voice, and all that."

I shrank back against the door as well as I could. "Get away from me," I said in a strangled voice. Ben put his arms around me. He was sitting in the middle. Closer to the vampire.

"No, it's not like that," Renesmee said soothingly. "Jacob only has normal food. I can have normal food, too, but I can eat with the rest of my family too. But you don't need to be afraid. We're _vegetarians_."

"So you eat fruits and vegetable then?" Ben asked, still worried.

"No. We eat animals. Not humans. It was a choice that all of us made willingly, and a personal promise, that we don't like breaking."

"Has it happened then?" I questioned. "Has the promise ever been broken?"

"Emmett and Jasper did a couple of times. Esme and Bella—never. Rosalie did kill some humans, once, but it was revenge for what they did to her. I'll tell you that later, if you want. Anyway, Jasper had a lot of human blood before he met Alice, but then he turned to our lifestyle, and tries not to; it's gotten much better since Bella joined the family. Bella and I had some donated blood, once, but no one died for that, so it doesn't count. Edward...well he had a wild streak...decided to give up vegetarianism for a few years. Then he came back. He was very tempted with Bella, but that's another story, that I'll tell you later. And Carlisle never had human blood except when he changed us; I suppose Edward had some blood when he changed Bella, too. Anyway, Jake and I are half-human, so none of us are tempted."

"Is that why you're driving us?" Ben asked, curious now.

"Partly. And partly because the others' abilities are needed."

But I was thinking about what Renesmee had said before. Something about Edward changing Bella. "Was that Bella in the club, before?" I was thinking about the golden-eyed brunette that was with Edward.

"Yes." Renesmee smiled. "She will be happy that you recognized her."

"What _abilities_?" Ben asked.

"Well, Jasper can experience and manipulate the emotions of the people around him. That's why he has to help Alice. Esme is one of the most loving people you can find, so she was also supposed to go Alice to try and help her. Alice can see the future, and she saw something that was very distressing to all of us. I'll tell you that later. Carlisle has an enormous amount of self-control, which allows him to be a doctor. He's probably preparing, just in case the accident does occur. Edward's the fastest, so he was sent to try and prevent the accident. He can also read thoughts, so he saw Alice's vision firsthand, and knows exactly what's going to happen. Emmett, Rosalie, and Bella were sent to be paramedics, because they all have lots of self-control, and Rose has a medical degree, so she might be able to help in that area. And me and Jake are both part-human, so we are driving you home. Of course, I have a talent, too. If you want to see this stuff firsthand, well..."

She touched my face, and I was immediately seeing things. _Emmett and Bella arm-wrestling...Bella jumping up in triumph, her eyes bright red...Jacob going behind a tree, then emerging as a gigantic russet-colored wolf...Bella and Edward playing chess...Carlisle walking through the front door of the house, then leaning over and kissing Esme...Alice, Rosalie, and Bella in a mall, looking through clothing...Emmett and Jasper wrestling...Jacob waving a bowl of oatmeal that smelled disgusting..._

"What is that?" I asked, afraid.

"My memories," Renesmee answered.

Ben looked like he wanted to ask more, but we were almost home.

"Ness, you better tell them the reason we brought them home," Jacob said softly.

"Oh, right," Renesmee replied. "Well, Alice saw a vision. It was of Nicole, your daughter. She ran out to greet someone in a car, with three other kids. Then, she tripped over a cat, and went smashing through the windshield. The guy in the car got a few cuts, but Nicole was bleeding all over. Then, Alice looked farther ahead in the future, and...and it was...a...funeral. For Nicole."

No. This couldn't be true. Not my baby! She was only five years old, for God's sake! How could life be so cruel? But it was true. We turned onto the street, and saw a tow truck pulling away Ronald Miller's car. The windshield was smashed, and there was red blood all over. There were lights. Lots of lights. Our sleepy little street normally was dark, except for the porch lights. Now there were police cars and ambulances, and even a fire engine. No... not Nicole. Please not Nicole. I remembered her voice from before we left, _You look pretty, Mommy_. Tears poured down my face. No...

We reached the house, and saw Bella, Rosalie, Edward, and Emmett loading a stretcher into an ambulance. Bella whispered something to Edward, then came over to us. "I'm so sorry, Angela."

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**A/N: Now there's a long chapter for you!!! Review for me please, and tell me what you think!!! I know the whole idea is kind of farfetched, but the idea just wouldn't stop nagging me until I wrote it down, and since I wrote it down, I might as well publish it, right? I hope you like it!!! And I'll probably update this one very often, at least once or twice a week. So it should be done by the beginning of April at the latest. I'm currently working on a sequel, so I hope you all will stick around for that. **


	3. Options

**A/N: Hey guys! I know this story is a bit angsty and that doesn't appeal to everyone, but judging on the favorites and the story alerts, people are liking it, and I wish that at least a couple of those people would review so I know what kind of response people have to this. I'd really appreciate it. :)**

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Chapter Three: Options

There was no denying it now. "Bella?" I said nervously, wanting to confirm that this was my friend.

She nodded. "Yes, Angela?"

Her voice was really hard to get used to. "Was Renesmee's story, you know, true?"

Her expression softened. "Yes, it was. I know this must be an unsettling experience for you."

"It is. But were you...human...when we met at Forks?"

She laughed. "Of course. Edward was pretty determined not to change me until after we were married. That's why I wanted to get married soon after high school was over. But I'll tell you more of that later. There'll be plenty of time." Then she got very sad. "Listen, I know this must be rotten for you. And I understand how you feel. All of us. Especially Edward, Esme, and me."

"Why only you three?"

"We were all parents at some point in time. However, I think Esme would be the best because she actually did lose her child."

"What do you mean?"

"I'll explain everything later. I promise."

""Ang," Ben pointed. I followed his finger and saw five silhouettes—three children and two adults. I knew that they were the Millers, Nathan, Natalie, and Shannon. It was the first time he'd spoken since we arrived.

"Well, Bella, I think we'll be going," I said.

"Wait," she shouted, piercing the still night air. Her left arm clamped on my shoulder. It was rock-hard and surprisingly cold. I flinched away from the contact, massaging my shoulder. There would probably be a bruise in the morning. "Sorry," Bella apologized. "Anyway, you can't tell anybody about this, about us. It's illegal to tell in our world. We broke the law by telling you. It's punishable by death."

"But you can't be killed." I was confused.

"Yes we can. It's very difficult, though, so we're considered 'immortal' anyway."

"How exactly..." I let it trail off.

"You have to rip us into pieces with vampire or werewolf teeth—they're the only things strong enough—and then burn the pieces."

I was about to ask about werewolves, but Emmett suddenly appeared next to Bella. "Bella, I know you want to tell them more, but we should really get going."

"Of course," she said softly. "Angela, Ben, come on. I'll drive you this time."

"What about everyone else?"

"They're going to run. I'm supposed to drive you, because I can answer a lot of your questions. I can also explain your options."

"Options?"

"Just get in the car. I'll tell you then."

Ben and I exchanged confused glances while we returned to the black Mercedes. Bella opened the back doors for us. Before we finished putting on our seat belts, she was in the front seat, belted in and placing the key in the ignition. "You know, I finally understand what Edward meant by saying that it was a relief not having to pretend in front of me anymore. It's so much natural to act like myself."

"What do you mean?" Ben seemed afraid. "You gonna suck our blood or something?"

"No," she laughed. "I mean not having to walk at a human pace. It's so much easier to walk like I always do."

That made sense. "So what did you mean before? You know, like, the _options_?"

Bella's face immediately became more serious. "This is a delicate matter, as I'm sure you can guess." I nodded and Ben placed an arm on my shoulders. "Listen, Alice saw Nicole's accident. But she also saw something else. A funeral. I know Ness told you this already. However, you have another choice. We can change her. With Carlisle, there'll be no chance of losing control. He has the most restraint, for a vampire, that we've ever seen."

Taking in our shocked and panicked faces, she added, "You don't have to decide now—you have some time."

"What do you mean?" I whispered.

"After approximately two weeks, Nicole will regain consciousness for a few hours. In this time, you can talk to her, and she'll reply normally. Close to the end of these hours, however, she'll complain of extreme pain and will black out at times. After that, she will go to sleep. In another hour, she will be dead. The decision will have to be made when she starts blacking out, so that we can be sure to have enough time." Bella turned around in her seat. "I know this is probably difficult for you."

"Of course it is!" I shouted. I normally didn't behave like this, but this was getting to be too much. "It's been _ten _years since I saw you. Ten _years._ Then we finally reunite, just for you to tell me that you're not human anymore and that my daughter is going to die in a couple of weeks, unless Ben and I give you the okay to turn her into a _monster_!"

Bella nodded. "I understand your pain. My own daughter was sentenced to death. Along with the rest of our family. But we managed to save ourselves. It was a very long time though. It was probably the most painful moment of my life. Including the change. I know what you are going through."

"Your _daughter_! You have a daughter!" I did not see that coming.

"Renesmee," Bella replied calmly.

"She's as old as you are!" Ben shouted.

"She _looks_ as old as me," Bella corrected. "But she's only ten years old."

"_What_!"

"She ages fast. I got pregnant about a couple weeks after the wedding. Then Ness was born in twenty days. She grew up in seven years. Now, she is as old as me, and will remain that way forever."

"What were the circumstances under which your daughter's life was threatened?" Ben demanded suddenly.

"Remember when I said that revealing the secret was punishable by death?" Ben and I nodded. "The...you could say police of our...um...world are known as the Volturi. They're in charge of making sure that the humans don't find out about us. Although the responsibility is assumed, they still earn the respect and fear of our entire kind. They thought that Renesmee was an immortal child, a baby that was changed."

"Why is that such a bad thing?" I asked. Now that we were getting more explanations, it was easier to stay calm.

"Immortal children were impossible to control. So they had to go. Along with their creators."

This made no sense. "But wouldn't Nicole be classified as an immortal child?"

"Not exactly," Bella said. "The immortal children were infants and toddlers. They did not understand reasoning. Nicole is mature. Alice says that she would understand, if we did change her."

"If she can see so much, then why didn't she see this accident earlier?" Ben inquired.

"Alice can only see something if she looks for it. When you told her about your children, she was curious to see how they looked, and that was how she saw the accident."

There was a siren wailing behind us. It was the police. "Do you know how fast you were going?" the cop questioned.

"One hundred five," Bella replied, turning to look at him. The cop seemed taken aback, by her beauty or her honesty, it was impossible to tell.

"The speed limit here is forty," the cop said, trying to redeem himself.

"Oh, I know," Bella said seductively. "I'm just in a little hurry. Here's a little something for your trouble," she purred, as she placed a thick roll of money on the officer's palm. "Keep the change," she smiled, as she pulled off of the shoulder.

"What was that?" Ben asked.

"Something I picked up from Alice. I'll explain later, don't worry."

In a few minutes, my eyes ad adjusted enough so I could see a little more of the road. To my surprise, it was very obscured, mostly by trees. "This isn't the way to the hospital," I commented.

"I know," Bella replied. "It's the way to our house. Carlisle will take care of Nicole here. Emmett, Rosalie, Renesmee, and Jacob are going to the hospital to say that she didn't make it. That will go on the records, and the cover will be set. Edward is taking her to Carlisle. She'll be there when we arrive."

My cell phone buzzed in my pocket. It was Michelle. "Hello?"

"Hey, Angela. Listen, there's some bad news. Nicole...well...there was an accident. You should go to the hospital. We're going there now," she said softly. She couldn't go to the hospital! Nicole wasn't there!

"Wait!" I shouted. "You can't go!"

"Why not?"

I did some quick thinking. "The children. Please take care of them. We'll give you any news tomorrow morning." By then, we could come up with a suitable lie.

As I flipped the phone shut, Bella commented, "You're getting pretty good at our game already."

When she said that, I realized how empty I was feeling inside. Almost as if Nicole was gone already. I knew that she wasn't going to make it, thanks to Alice, but by lying to one of my closest friends, I felt as if I'd already given up on my daughter. Given up on her life...as if it were gone already...

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**A/N: Please review!!!!! **


	4. The House

Chapter Four: The House

When we reached the Cullens' house, I realized that it looked almost exactly like the one in Forks. But we were in Seattle now. Did all of the Cullens' houses look like this?

I had only been in one of the Cullens' houses twice before: the graduation party and Bella's wedding. Right now, it looked different from the two settings. Everything in the house was a shade of white or brown. Except for the hospital bed standing in the middle of the living room. Bella ran over to the bed and spoke quietly. "How is she?"

"She's okay, I guess, but she isn't going to make it. We can tell already," Alice whispered.

I moved closer to the bed. There were bandages everywhere, and an IV attached to her hand. "Nicole?" I whispered. She whined and shook her head, but she didn't say anything.

Esme was sitting in a corner, her hands covering her face. Jasper was sitting over there, talking to her softly. "It'll be all right, Esme, don't worry. Carlisle is the best possible doctor. She has the most chance of making it with him."

"But she's not going to make it," Esme replied. "We know that."

"I know, Esme. Calm down."

I returned my eyes to Nicole. My vision blurred and tears started to trickle down my cheeks. I felt a reassuring arm slip around my waist. "Thanks, Ben," I whispered. That was it. For the first time since hearing about the accident, I started to cry.

"Ang, sweetheart, it'll be okay. Just calm down. Everything will work out."

"No, it won't! Nicole's not going to make it. How can it work out?"

"Ang, remember what Bella said? She'll be coherent towards the end; we can talk to her again."

"But after that she'll be dead!"

"She doesn't have to be."

"Ben, you know I don't want to do that! It would be _agony_ to be stuck in a five-year-old body for eternity!"

"I know, Ang, but we have to consider all of our choices here."

"I didn't want this to happen," I sobbed, putting my head into my hands.

"Neither did I, Ang," Ben told me softly. "Sometimes things like this just happen, though."

"I just don't know what to do," I whispered.

Then I heard Alice's high soprano voice saying something. It was too fast to understand anything though. Immediately afterward, I felt a wave of calm shoot wash over me, and I felt better. "Thank you, Jasper," I said, remembering what Renesmee had told me in the car.

"You're welcome," he sounded surprised.

Then Bella stepped forward. "Angela, Ben, it's very late. You should go to sleep."

"We don't have our car," Ben replied.

"You should stay here," Bella instructed. "You can have our room."

"No," I protested. "You wouldn't have anywhere to sleep then."

Bella looked uncomfortable. "Well," she began, looking around nervously, "we don't sleep. We can't."

Although I knew she wasn't human now, it still surprised me when I heard things like that. I still hadn't gotten used to it.

"I don't have any clothes. Or a toothbrush."

"Alice will find something that will fit. And the others will be on their way back from the hospital. Esme will tell them to bring toothbrushes, and anything else you might need on their way back. Just let her know what they should get."

"I'll pay you back, of course—"

But Bella interrupted me. "No need," she said. "We have more than enough. Consider it a thank you for being an awesome friend back in high school."

Once again, I felt tears pooling in my eyes. "I have no idea how to thank you—"

Bella interrupted again. "You already have," she said, with a twinkle in her eye.

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Ten minutes later, Alice had me wearing a pajama set that belonged to Bella. "One of her modest ones," Alice had commented when she gave it to me." I couldn't believe that this was considered 'modest.' It looked more like something you'd catch the Victoria's Secret mannequins wearing.

Bella saw me, and smiled. "You're lucky," she whispered. "You wouldn't believe the stuff she makes _me_ wear!"

Although it was obvious that Alice had heard her, she pretended not to. Ben emerged a few minutes later, from the ding room, wearing something of Edward's. It showed muscles I never knew he had.

"You look great, Ben," I complimented.

"Anyone dressed by me and Rose always does," Alice said. "Just ask Edward." I don't think I wanted to know that one.

"BELLA!!!!!!" Alice shouted. She had disappeared. Bella ran down the stairs in less than a second.

"What, Alice? Couldn't you see I was busy."

"You volunteered your room. Don't you think you should leave it intact for your two guests?"

"I was straightening up."

"Yes. _straightening up_," Alice said sarcastically. "Try standing straight before you straighten up."

"_Alice! _I would have expected this from Emmett, but not from you!"

"Yes, Alice. I was just wondering the same thing," Edward said. He had appeared from nowhere.

"Edward. You have _guests_. You can't do _that!_"

"I didn't volunteer. Why should I suffer?" Edward asked.

"Ask your wife," Alice said, turning around. "Anyway, you have the forest."

Bella looked scandalized. "Alice! You know I don't like that!"

"You should have thought about that before."

"Alice, you and Rose and everyone else can't do anything either. We have _guests_."

"I know. That's what I was telling you."

Ben and I were getting the gist of the conversation. Alice and Bella seemed to understand this, and they moved into the dining room to continue their argument.

There was an awkward silence, broken by Rosalie, Emmett, Jacob, and Renesmee walking in through the door. "What's going on?" Jacob asked, realizing that something wasn't right. "Is Nicole...?"

"No," Carlisle said coming over. "Alice and Bella had a..colorful...argument about Angela and Ben staying here.

"Angela and Ben are staying here?" Emmett asked, a gleeful smile alighting his features.

Alice came rushing in from the dining room. "No, Emmett, you can't do that. It'll be hard enough for Ben to lose his daughter, let alone his wife."

My eyes widened. "What!"

"You don't want to know," Alice said darkly. "But trust me. Emmett won't be playing his little prank now, will he?"

"No, Alice," Emmett said sadly.

"Good," she said happily.

"Seriously," Rose said, as she walked to the center of the room. "You won't believe what the old lady at the drugstore said when she saw us. She was crazy. And bi. She saw all four of us, and she jumped on us. It was pretty sudden, actually. None of us were expecting it. We were paying, and then she pounced."

"Yeah," Renesmee agreed. "It was disturbing. Good thing I had Jake there. Otherwise I would have seriously freaked out."

Edward was standing next to me. "You have no idea how weird it is to see your ten-year-old daughter happily married," he muttered.

Bella heard him, and came to stand next to him. Renesmee didn't hear him though. That didn't make sense. "She's only half-vampire, so her hearing isn't that great," Edward whispered so only I could hear. Oh right. He could read my thoughts.

I nodded, not knowing what to say. The Cullens' house could be pretty chaotic.

"Oh, hold on. I'm sorry Angela, Ben, I forgot to take you to the room."

"It's okay, Bella."

"Here, follow me."

Bella walked up the stairs at a normal pace. Once we reached the top, she directed us to a room at the end of the hall. The room was mostly gold and black.

"Nice colors," I complimented as I looked around.

Bella smiled. "At least this isn't Alice's room. Everything in there is either bright pink or bright purple. It's like stepping into a dollhouse."

Ben wasn't interested in the colors. "Why do you have a bed if you don't _sleep_?" he asked.

Bella looked uncomfortable. "Um...appearances?" she said tentatively. She wasn't a good liar, even when she didn't have a blush to give it away.

"Why is there a huge bite mark in the headboard?" Ben inquired. I heard someone laugh loudly downstairs. It sounded like Emmett.

Bella looked very, very uncomfortable. "You can stay in Alice's room, or Esme's room, if you want?" she offered. She didn't offer Rosalie's.

"No, we'll stay here," I said. "Ben, watch your manners."

Once we were inside the room, I gave it to him. "Ben, how could you say that to her? She's risking her life to help us. Remember the Volturi? If they found out, they'd kill her, as well as the rest of her family!"

"And us, too!" Ben argued.

"But still. They're giving us a place to stay, and they're taking care of us very well. It's rude to talk about them like this."

"Look at the size of that mark! I don't even _want_ to know what they were doing that created such a big mark!"

"If you don't want to know, don't think about it."

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**A/N: The end of that chapter was probably one of my favorite scenes to write in _all _of my stories. Please review and let me know what you thought of it!!! (I'm so desperate, aren't I????)**


	5. Esme

Chapter Five: Esme

When I woke up the next morning, it was like the full implications of last night's occurrences finally hit me. I broke down crying. My poor baby. She wouldn't ever be able to graduate high school, or go to college, or go to prom, or any of those other things Nathan and Natalie would be able to do. even if she became a vampire, she would be frozen at five forever, and would never fit in at those settings. It would be the most unfair thing for her. How could I doom her to a life like that? It would be torture for her to watch her brother and sister grow up, graduate high school and college, get a job, and maybe get married and have kids, while she just watched from the sidelines. How could anyone live through that?

"Ang, you okay?" Ben asked groggily. He probably had just woken up. Suddenly, he sat up. "Why are you crying?"

"It just hit me, Ben. Nicole's life won't be any better for her, even if we _do_ save her. Although we'll get our daughter back, it won't be right for her. I think this is good-bye for us, Ben. I don't think there's any way for us to keep Nicole alive, without ruining things for her."

"Angela, I know. But we have to stay strong. We can't let Natalie and Nathan feel this."

"Natalie and Nathan...Hold on, we have to talk to Ronald and Michelle! They think we're at the hospital! We have to come up with an excuse. What should we say?"

"I'm sure the Cullens can come up with something suitable," Ben suggested.

"Yeah," I replied weakly. "Let's go."

When we arrived downstairs, the Cullens were all gathered around the bed, and seemed to be discussing something.

"I think we have a solution to your problem," Carlise informed us.

"Which problem?" I asked curiously.

"What to tell the Millers," Bella explained. "Carlisle thinks you should tell them that Nicole had a traumatic head injury, that her brain died, and that there would be no point in saving her, because she would never be able to function properly. Then, maybe you could talk to them about taking care of Nathan and Natalie for today, so that you can work on funeral preparations. We can take care of those for you, so you don't have to worry about that—Alice is really good at figuring out exactly what people would like—and then we'll have enough time today to tell you some of our stories, to help you with your decision. It's always good to have a little background information."

Ben nodded numbly. "I'll tell them," he volunteered, pulling out his cell phone. He went into the dining room to talk.

"Background information?" I asked. What did Bella mean?

"Just some stuff on how we were changed, what the transformation was like, and how we think we can make it for Nicole, if you should decide to change her."

"Oh." I looked at her unconscious face. It was as innocent as before, except there were bandages and tubes all over it.

"Alice," I asked. "Will she really be able to talk when she wakes up? Are you positively sure?"

"Yes," she said reassuringly. "Don't worry, she'll be perfectly coherent."

Ben returned at that moment, his face empty of every expression. "They said that they would take care of Natalie and Nathan for the day. Ang, I think we should go home tonight, or else it will seem really suspicious."

"Then where do the kids go when we're here with Nicole?"

"They can come with us."

"But what if they say something?"

"They don't need to see Nicole. We don't need to tell them anything about her. We can just give them some toys and put them in another room."

"How about a day care? They can meet other children, and they will be happy."

"Angela! We're not even going to work right now! We don't have the money to send them to day care. One child would have been difficult enough! But two? The only option is to keep them with us."

Until now, the Cullens had been watching the conversation silently, but at these last words, Carlisle stepped forward.

"Excuse me for interrupting, Angela, Ben," he began, "but we feel, in a way, responsible for your current situation; because of our offer, you are forced to deceive your family and friends. If you want to put Natalie and Nathan in a day care, we would be happy to pay for it. We have more than enough money."

Ben looked at me, and I replied, "Thank you. That is a very generous offer. I don't know how we can repay you."

Edward stepped forward. "You already have," he said. "I was never able to thank you for all of the kindness you showed Bella back in Forks, and I have always been looking for a way to thank you for that."

I had no idea that Edward felt so strongly about the whole situation back in high school. "Bella and I were friends," I explained. "Why wouldn't I be nice to her?"

"Even before you were friends, on her first day of school, you were the one of the few who weren't obsessed with Bella. You minded your own business. I have never been able to thank you for that." I had no idea he noticed that much.

"Yeah, I noticed a lot. You would too, if your time passed in slower intervals like it does for us," Edward said, smiling.

"Anyway," Bella said, bringing us all back to the present, "Angela, Ben, whose story would you like to hear first?"

"What do you mean?" Ben asked.

"We all have stories about how we were changed, and how it was like for us before, during, and after the changed," Bella explained.

"We were all changed when we were dying or close to death," Edward added. "Bella was almost lost. I cut it very close."

I looked at her, and she nodded, confirming the story. "Yes, I was dying. I could feel it. But then Edward saved me." She looked at him in such a loving way that I felt as if I were intruding. "So whose story would you like to hear?" she asked again, bringing me back.

I turned to Ben, but he told me that he didn't know any of the Cullens that well, so he wanted me to choose. I thought about it for a few minutes. Asking about Esme or Carlisle would be sort of weird. I knew Alice, Edward, and Bella really well, so it would be strange to ask them about how they were dying. That left Emmett, Jasper, and Rosalie. I really had no connections to any of them. But asking Jasper would be a bit scary because of his gift. Emmett was also pretty intimidating.

"Um...Rosalie?" I said hesitantly.

She smiled in a reassuring way. "Don't be scared. I might be horrible in school, but I was actually pretty nice, especially when I was human." All of the vampires were staring at Ben and me, curious for our reaction.

"The world was very different in nineteen-thirty-three. I was eighteen, I was beautiful, and my life was as perfect as it could be. Although our family was middle class, it was still better than the thousands of jobless people that roamed the streets. I was then told that these people had brought their troubles upon themselves and that their situation was their own fault. Because of that, I took everything I had for granted. I was unaware that my father's steady job in a bank was a very fortunate thing for us.......

After Rosalie, was Emmett, then, Jasper, then Alice, then Esme, then Carlisle, then Edward, and finally Bella. Along with Bella's story, we found out Renesmee and Jacob's. I had to say, and Ben agreed with me, that these stories were bizarre and surreal, and if I didn't know Bella as well as I did, we probably wouldn't believe them. They also threw in a few stories about the Volturi and vampire nature in general.

"So whose story was the most shocking?" Emmett asked, probably about to make a joke.

"Um...Carlisle's, I think. I would have never expected that he was older than the United States!" I replied, and Ben agreed.

"Of course. But, as we all know, the oldest people are the wisest. Edward is the exception, of course." That comment earned Emmett a smack upside the head from Edward, which echoed louder than I would have thought possible.

"Hey! I'm just joking. OW! Can't you take a joke? OW! You're probably just OW! in denial. OW! Stop it! OW!—"

"Edward, Emmett, stop," Carlisle ordered. They both moved away from each other, and smiled sheepishly at the rest of the family. Alice started laughing; apparently, she had seen something that amused her.

Rosalie glanced at Emmett disapprovingly. She said something to him, really fast, that caused Emmett to fall at her feet, begging, and made everyone else laugh. "No, Rose, please. Anything but that. I don't like it. It was just a bit of fun. I'm sorry—"

Edward was snickering, until Bella smirked at him, and thought something that made Edward fall at her feet, too. Bella and Rose seemed to be enjoying themselves, watching the two guys grovel at their feet.

"Boys!" Carlisle said disapprovingly.

"Sorry, Dad," they chorused.

"Rose, do you want to go out and get Angela and Ben some of their own things? I'm sure that they'd like that better than our stuff."

"Of course, Bella, that would be wonderful. And while we're at it, maybe we should go and pick up the car."

They both walked out the door, arms linked together while Edward and Emmett stared at their retreating backs incredulously.

"I told you," Emmett said. "Marriage sucks."

"Wait," I interrupted, an idea coming to me. "You don't have the keys. Or the address. How are you supposed to get the stuff?"

"Rose is very handy with cars. She'll be able to hotwire it in no time. And they will be able to find the house easily. They're both very good. If they need anything, they'll call."

For the next twenty minutes, Ben and I ate surprisingly delicious scrambled eggs, made by Edward.

"Are they all right?" he asked anxiously.

"Yes," I assured him. "And it's remarkable that you can cook as well as you do, when you haven't eaten any of this stuff in over a century."

"I used to watch Bella cook, and Food Network was a pretty good reference, as well." Edward was modest, as usual.

While eating, my mind went back to Bella and Rosalie. What had they said to Edward and Emmett to make them that upset?

"Whenever Bella and Rose get mad at me or Emmett, they don't have sex with us for a week," Edward whispered to me, so that only I could hear. Interesting...

"Any other questions?" Carlisle asked Ben and me loudly.

"Um, yeah. I was wondering...you said that it can take up to a year for a newborn vampire to be around humans without attacking, right? So how long do you think it will be for Nicole, if we do change her?" This was one of the first things that Ben had said since he came here. It was obvious that he was starting to get more comfortable around the Cullens.

Alice closed her eyes and massaged her forehead. "If she's changed, it will take her seven months, twenty six days, seven hours, and three minutes, from the moment of awakening, to be around you without killing you."

"You sound pretty certain," I told her.

"I am," Alice said. "I rely on my sight for almost everything."

"Well," Jacob said, stretching, "I think it's time Nessie and I paid a little visit back home. If there's no more questions, that is. Charlie wanted to see her. Edward, are you and Bella going to come?"

"No, I don't think so. I think that Bella would want to stay with Angela and Ben," Edward replied.

"So you don't want to leave her? She has that whole no-sex-for-a-week thing going. Are you sure you don't want to get away from that for a while?"

"Jacob, being with you and Renesmee won't be any better. I don't want to follow my newly-married daughter to Forks. It will be almost like an exhibition of what I can't have."

"That's right," Emmett added, slinging a giant arm over Edward's shoulders. "Eddie and I have to stick together."

"Awww, how sweet," Jacob commented. "Tell Bella for us, okay?" He ran up the stairs with Renesmee, returning with a giant suitcase. They hurried out the door, and I could hear a car engine roaring to life.

After they left, Esme went upstairs, returning with a large sheet of paper and a pencil, starting to sketch a building. Carlisle went over to Nicole and studied the various monitors, Edward accompanying him. Emmett and Jasper turned on the TV and turned on a football game, while placing bets on who would win. Alice mumbled something about going shopping, as she skipped out the door. Ben and I just stood there, unsure of what to do or where to go. I didn't want to disturb Carlisle or Edward, so I went over to Esme, while Ben went over to watch the football game.

"How are you, dear?" Esme asked without removing her eyes from her sketch.

"I'm all right, I guess. This is just so _unreal_," I replied.

"I understand, dear. I remember how confused I was when I woke up as a vampire. I didn't mention this part in my story. Would you like to hear it?"

I nodded, and she began her story. I was curious to hear it. Before, she had only mentioned jumping off of a cliff. Then Carlisle had added the part where he found her in the hospital, just barely alive, and decided to change her. I knew no more than that.

"After my child died, I was distraught. I still remember his face; he was such an angel. My husband didn't care that the child was dead. He hadn't wanted one in the first place. He didn't even care how upset I was. He told me to go see a doctor and get some kind of medication if I was that depressed. I had never loved him, and he had never loved me. My only reason for living was that little baby, who died before he had a chance to truly live. I didn't want to continue my life, so I jumped off a cliff. The next thing I remember is the horrible, burning pain. I was convinced that I was going to hell for trying to kill myself, but I didn't care. Hell would be better than my life. Anyway, the pain stopped, eventually, and as I opened my eyes, I changed my mind. I couldn't be in hell, because there was a beautiful angel, with golden hair and golden eyes, sitting next to me, holding my hand. I thought that I had died. It took days for me to realize that I was still alive. My human husband didn't feel any sorrow with my 'death.' As a matter of fact, he got remarried a month after my 'death.'"

"I'm sorry, Esme, I had never realized that your story was so sad," I whispered. For the first time, I noticed the tears pouring down my cheeks.

"My story is why I feel for you so much," Esme said, patting my shoulder. "I understand what you must be going through."

I nodded as I wondered what could possibly be going through Esme's human husband's head, so long ago. How could anyone be so cruel?

And then I mulled over the story again, more confused than before.

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**A/N: Please review. And then go check out _Fixing the Impossible_ by xXxEternallyDazzledxXx. As of Chapter 31, I am her beta and it's an awesome story, one of my favorites. So if you need something to read, that is a must-do. :0)**


	6. Decision

**A/N: Hey everyone. I'm sorry I disappeared for a week. I went on a family vacation--total snap decision. It was like one day we decide to go, the next day we're gone. But the next chapter's here now and I want to update tomorrow. I'm not completely sure if that's possible, but I promise to do my best! **

* * *

Chapter Six: Decision

_I nodded as I wondered what could possibly be going through Esme's human husband's head, so long ago. How could anyone be so cruel?_

_And then I mulled over the story again, more confused than before. _

She had spoken of how her child's death was unbearable because her husband didn't love her, and she and nothing left to live for. I would still have something if Nicole wasn't here now, right? I had Natalie, Nicole, and Ben. We would move on, I _think_. It would all be difficult, but we could get over it, maybe. I shook my head. Nothing made sense. Death was irrational. Undeath was even more irrational, if that was possible. I would just have to talk to Ben and see what he had to say. There was really nothing more to do...

"You can have our opinions, too, you know," Edward said. I hadn't noticed him come over to where I was sitting, my head buried in my hands. As usual, Ben was glued to the football game, and hadn't even noticed the conversation between Esme and me.

"But aren't all of you a bit, you know, biased, since you're part of this life already?" I asked curiously.

"Not really. We all have our own reasons for wanting Nicole to join us or die. And believe it or not, we don't all agree..."

"But how do you think that can help?"

"You might be able to see it from a different perspective. Maybe when Jake and Ness come back from Forks, we'll all sit down and talk. In any case, it won't hurt. It should help you, though."

"What makes you so sure?"

"Bella did the same thing. When I refused to change her and take away her soul, she talked to my family and got their opinions, hoping to change my mind. As it turned out, only Rose said no, and she had her own personal reason for that. And by doing that, she got several other choices for her life. You might get the same."

"Did you just say that changing Nicole means that she will lose her soul?!" I was appalled that the Cullens could keep such a vital piece of information from us.

"Well, not exactly. You see, I'm the only one in the family who believes that, and that was why I refused to change Bella. For personal reasons."

"You know what?" I said. "I think we should get your family's opinions then. If there are so many _personal_ reasons that can affect my daughter's life. Or more accurately, the lack of it." I couldn't remember the last time I had spoken to anybody like this. In such an acidic tone. I barely recognized myself.

"All right. I'll let everyone else know," Edward said, amused.

---

As it turned out, Jacob and Renesmee returned a lot sooner than anybody else expected. Except for maybe Alice.

By the time football game was over, Rose and Bell ahad returned with two suitcases full of clothes and other necessities. Emmett, Jasper, and Ben started playing MarioKart 4 and arguing over who got to be Baby Mario. Rose went over and watched them speculatively. "My money's on the human," she laughed. Edward and Bella were playing on the piano, a duet of some sort. Carlisle was still checking on Nicole. Esme was upstairs, supposedly unpacking for Ben and me. Alice was helping her.

Suddenly, Alice appeared next to Bella, laughing uncontrollably. "Bella, please! Shield my thoughts! I can't translate _Macbeth_ into Portuguese forever! And I don't want Edward to know a word I'm thinking!"

Bella smiled. "Sure, Alice. But you have to tell me what you're hiding from Edward."

Alice's eyes lit up. "Definitely." Then she turned to Jasper. "Make sure that Edward stays here." With that, she and Bella disappeared out the door. They returned in a minute, Bella's eyes also dancing with anticipation.

"Three...two...one," Alice breathed. Right on cue, the phone rang. Alice waltzed over to answer it, putting it on speaker so that everyone could hear.

"Hello?" she said innocently.

"Hello, little girl. Is your mommy or daddy home?"

"FYI, I am not a little girl! I am seventeen years old!" Emmett, Jasper, and Ben had paused the game and were watching as well, doing their best not to laugh. The rest of the house was also listening eagerly.

"Okay. Are your parents there, miss?" the voice repeated.

"Yes, they are."

"Can you give the phone to them?"

"Yes, I can."

"_Are _you going to give the phone to them?"

"Yes, I am." The guy on the other end was getting very annoyed.

"_Why_ aren't you giving the phone to your parents?

"You didn't tell me to. Yes, my parents are here, and I can _physically _give the phone to them, but you never actually told me to go and give it to them."

"Fine. Give the phone to Renesmee's mother or father, please."

Edward, who had previously been examining some sheet music, turned around so quickly, that if he were a human, it would have given him whiplash. He ran to the phone, too fast for my eyes to see, and said, "This is her father speaking. Who may I ask is calling?"

Bella was shaking with silent laughter.

"This is the Lakewood police. Your daughter and her boyfriend were caught speeding two hundred miles over the limit in a residential area. She wanted to talk to you herself, but due to the severity of the infraction, it didn't seem appropriate. She was in a black Aston Martin Vanquish, that appeared to have a lot of work done on the engine to improve its horsepower, as well as a suitcase full of clothing. Were you aware of this?"

"I was aware that they were going down to Forks to visit some friends, but I had no idea they took my car, or that they were speeding. I don't even know how they ended up in a residential area in Lakewood. Couldn't they have passed by from the highway?"

"So that is your car they took?"

"Yes, it is."

"Can you explain the engine work, please."

"My sister, Rose, loves cars, and she works as a mechanic. Before, when she was starting out, she practiced on my car."

"You let your sister _practice_ on such an expensive car?"

"Yes. You see, I was very confident in her abilities, and I felt that allowing her to use my car would show her that I trusted her, and very possibly increase her self-esteem and confidence when it came to automobiles."

"All right. Well, back to the charges. Jacob and Renesmee have made bail, barely. You have to understand that this level of speeding is highly dangerous for the driver, any passengers, as well as innocent bystanders. They could have both died tonight. However, since no one was harmed, both Renesmee and Jacob's drivers licenses have been suspended indefinitely, and the bail is several thousand dollars. I hope you understand."

Edward was furious. "Yes, I understand completely. You can rest assured that Jacob's parents will be informed of this and that Renesmee will be grounded for a very long time. I completely approve of the punishment."

"Would you like to speak to your daughter?"

"Yes, but could you please put Jacob on first?"

"Of course."

"Hello, Edward." Jacob sounded very confused.

"Hello, Jacob. I understand that my daughter has now gotten a criminal record because of your inability to control yourself in residential areas."

"Hey, man, chill. Emmett and Jasper and even _you_ have had stuff like this before."

"This is my _daughter_, Jacob. It's _different_."

"Okay, man, I get it. I won't do it again."

"Of course you won't. You're never sitting in the driver's seat of any vehicle again if my daughter is a passenger. Exceptions include when I am in the vehicle as well. And that few thousand dollars bail, well, I will pay that, but you will spend the next few years earning all that back on your own."

"But you're rich. Isn't that amount, like, nothing to you?"

"Yes. But it's a lot for you, and that's why I'm doing this."

"Come on, Ed, don't do this."

"Just for calling me 'Ed,' which you know I hate, you're also going to be charged interest. Eight percent, to be exact."

Jacob sighed. "Annual?"

"Nope. Weekly."

"What! You can't do that! You—"

"Any more talking, and that will be bumped up to daily. Understand?"

"Yes, Edward. Sorry."

"Put Ness on."

"Sure."

"Hello, Dad. I'm sorry." Renesmee's voice was sweeter than usual. Edward's hard expression softened.

"It's okay." In the background, I could hear Jacob swearing about how unfair Edward was, and how he played favorites. It was sort of amusing...in a little bit of a pathetic way.

"Dad, listen. I know you don't want me to ever get in a car with Jake ever again, and I understand that, but it's going to happen eventually."

"Renesmee, yes, I am aware of that. But still, you and Jacob are both going to be in trouble for a very long time.

"Okay, Dad. Can you come and get us out now? This place is filthy."

"No, I think I'll make you stay the night."

"_Dad!"_

"Fine. I'll drive there. Under the speed limit. Should take at least a couple of hours. And for that entire time, you have to sit in the jail cell and wear the stuff that they gave you."

"What, so when I protest, things get worse. But when _Nessie_ protests, you get nicer!" Jacob was shouting. Edward chuckled.

"Yes, Jacob. So I suggest you let her do all the talking. Good bye, Jacob, Renesmee. Enjoy your three hours of jail."

When Edward put the phone down, he was livid. "Alice, why didn't you tell me any of this?"

"I saw you would freak out, and it looked hilarious." Alice didn't look guilty at all.

Then Edward went over to Bella. "And you didn't say anything either. You weren't even upset that Renesmee is in prison."

"I knew that you would bail them out, thanks to Alice, and she told me how much you'd freak out, and it sounded really funny." Bella was still giggling.

"You have to admit it was funny," Emmett put in. "You were all sweet to Ness and all mad at Jake."

"That's why I put it on speaker," Alice laughed.

I looked over at Ben. If the family played pranks on each other during their free time, then what would Nicole do here. Everyone was clearly more mature than she would ever be capable of. And everyone was so obviously matched up. How would she feel if she was the third wheel? Or in this case, the ninth wheel? It just wasn't right.

I knew then exactly what I was going to do about my daughter. Nicole would not be happy as a vampire. If she was older, at least sixteen, then it would be plausible. However, as a five-year old, I didn't think that would be appropriate at all. I didn't care what the rest of the Cullens had to say; I had made my decision, and I was sticking to it. Now, the only thing left to do would be to convince Ben to agree with me.

Though it killed me inside, I knew then that Nicole's life was over. Tears leaked from my eyes as I buried my face in my lap. Ben hurried over to me, and asked me what was wrong, but I couldn't say anything. Jasper sent a wave of calm throughout the room, but I resisted the urge to give in to it. "Stop, Jasper. I don't want to be calm," I said in a low voice that everyone heard.

With that, I pushed Ben away and went upstairs to the room that Ben and I shared and locked the door. I sank onto the bed and resumed my sobbing. I knew that all of the vampires could hear me, and maybe Ben could too, but I didn't care.

My daughter was dying—she grew closer every hour, every minute, every second—and there was nothing I would do about it. In a way, I had condemned her to losing her life myself. I wanted her to stay alive, but it would only be good for her now; in the long run, she would be the one hurting, and I couldn't allow that.

Life was about making decisions—choosing between what was right and what was easy. I knew the easy thing was to change Nicole and have her with me for the rest of my life. So did that make letting her die the right choice?

I let out a wail of anguish, of regret, and loss. I had lost so much. And yet I still had more than so many other people. How was this fair? How could life be so cruel?

As I stared out the glass that made up one of the walls, at the moon and the stars, I realized there was no answer. The mysteries of life and death had no solution, no answer. And I would have to live with that, no matter how hard it would be.

**Awwwwwwww....how can you not review to that?????**


	7. Perspective

Edward and Bella went to Lakewood to get Renesmee and Jacob out of jail, while Jasper sent out a huge wave of calm to calm me down.

"Do you want to go to sleep?" Alice asked.

"I don't think that will be possible, but I'd love to sleep, though," I answered.

"I can arrange that," Alice said, smiling. The calm was replaced by a feeling of lethargy. It was too heavy to be natural, but it was still extremely welcome.

"Thank you, Jasper," I whispered, before closing my eyes.

---

When I woke up, I saw Edward glaring at Jacob. He was lecturing him about the speeding charge. I looked at Bella questioningly, and she seemed to understand what I wanted to know.

"Edward hasn't stopped talking all night," she complained softly. "I'm sure Jacob understands by now, but I don't think Edward does."

I laughed. "Well, he has a teenage daughter. Don't you think he has to be a little overprotective?"

Bella smiled. "I suppose. I can't wait to see what Ben's like in a few years. You know, with Natalie and all."

Natalie....Nathan....oh crap, we were supposed to pick them up today. Bella saw the alarm on my face.

"Well, Edward does have the tendency to go overboard with some things. I don't think Ben can _possibly_ be as bad as him," Bella said quickly.

"No it's not that," I said. "What about Nathan and Natalie. Weren't we supposed to pick them up today?"

Bella smiled reassuringly. "Don't worry," she said. "It's only seven in the morning, and the Millers aren't expecting you to come until eleven. But you'll have to stay at your house now, or they'll get suspicious. Alice saw your excuse. You tell them that you and Ben were staying in a hotel that was really close to the hospital, so that you could be there all the time."

I nodded. "Okay," I said. Four hours. What could we do for four hours?

"We could do the vote, like Esme suggested," Edward said. He had clearly just read my mind.

"Yes, those do give you more confidence, no matter what you choose," Bella stated. "I can speak from experience."

"What do you mean?" I asked curiously.

"Do you remember back in high school when the Cullens left?"

I nodded. How could I forget the worst part of my best friend's life? Or existence? I thought back to how she had looked those first few mornings—red, puffy eyes, unkept hair, and wrinkled clothes. She had been devastated.

I saw Edward shudder, out of the corner of my eye, and I resolved to think happier thoughts, as to not give him more pain than he had undoubtedly suffered upon leaving Bella.

"Well," Bella continued, "when they came back, I told Edward that I wanted him to make me a vampire. That if I was a vampire, the events that had led up to their departure would have never occurred. He disagreed. He said that, with my luck, something was bound to happen eventually. The only certainty was that he wasn't going to leave me again. I remember telling him that I wanted to live as a vampire or not at all. He wanted me to stay human, and I remember trying to convince him for several, fruitless minutes. Eventually, I got mad enough to want a second opinion. I went to his family, in the middle of the night, to ask them what they thought about my potential vampire transformation. Everyone thought the same way I did, except for Rosalie, and she had her own personal history that led to that choice. And now, if you want to hear what we think, we will tell you."

"Yes, please," I said. Ben nodded his assent as well.

"I know you've made your choice, Angela," Edward said. "But I am aware that Ben is not completely sure yet."

I looked over at him. He hadn't chosen yet? Was I the only one who had seen the reasons why it would be completely wrong for Nicole to become part of this family? Well, Ben was never too observant, especially about character, so I should have expected it, but hearing it from Edward like this, who knew exactly what Ben was thinking made the statement a bit more unwelcome. How could Ben willingly want to make our beautiful daughter a part of ...this...this...unnaturalness?

"Come over here," Bella said, taking my arm gently. Her icy fingers startled me and I jumped back.

"I'm sorry," she apologized. " I forgot how cold Edward's hands were to me when I was human. She smiled sheepishly.

"It's alright. Don't worry about it," I assured her.

"Come to the dining room," Esme said softly.

When Ben and I reached the dining room, everyone else was already seated inside. We took the two remaining chairs and looked at everyone else nervously.

"Why don't you start, Bella," Carlisle suggested. "You knew Angela and Ben the best."

Bella nodded and took a deep breath. "Angela, Ben, I think that you should change her. After all, life is life, no matter if you drink blood or water. You'll be able to see her and talk to her, and I think that is preferable to the alternative."

"Me next!" Emmett shouted. "Okay, I think you should definitely have her changed. It would be great to have a new face here, and I, for one, know that my Rosie will be able to take care of Nicole quite well." He gave Rosalie a huge smile.

Rosalie nodded gently. "I appreciate the thought, Emmett," she began, "but I'll have to disagree with you. To be stuck in the mind of a child, forever, would be horrible. Did you know the human brain grows until the age of eighteen? To freeze that process after just five years would be horrible. I don't think we'd be able to teach her much. Additionally, five-year olds are expected to grow. If we put her in a school, then it would be difficult to explain how she remains the same height and weight for several years in a row. It wouldn't be fun for us, and I think I can be certain it won't be fun for Nicole, either. But I will take care of her if you want me to." She flashed me a dazzling smile. "No offense to anyone."

I was surprised at Rosalie's knowledge of children. "Rose knows a little something about kids, yes she does," Edward said, looking at me with a wry grin on his face.

"She was invaluable in bringing up Renesmee," Bella added. "I don't know what I would have done without her."

"I see how it is!" Emmett exclaimed. "Thanks a lot Bella!"

Bella laughed. Rosalie rolled her eyes. Alice shook her head.

"I know how much you want to think that everything is about you, Emmett," Jasper said. "But _quite_ unfortunately, this meeting is about Nicole."

"Okay, children, calm down. Alice, you talk next," Carlisle interrupted.

"Carlisle, I don't want my foresight to affect anyone's opinions. Would it be all right if I went last?"

Carlisle nodded. "Jasper, then."

"Angela, Ben, it has been a very long time since I was a human, and I have to admit, that in my entire existence, I have had no experience with children, whatsoever, minus the seven years when Renesmee was growing up, so I am really not the best person for this. However, I can sense pain coming from Nicole's mind, and I don't think that the pain will ebb if she is changed. I'm sorry."

I nodded quietly. "My turn!" Renesmee shouted. She reminded me of Alice, actually. Back in high school. "I want Nicole to join the family. I think I would enjoy helping Aunt Rose take care of her. And I'm sure Jake agrees with me!"

"On the contrary, Ness, I'll have to agree with Rose, even though I still detest her as much as I did when we first met. I remember how immature Claire was when she was five years old. Nicole can't be much more mature than Claire was. Claire still had a lot of growing up to do, and I don't think it would have a good effect on her mind to live the way the Cullens do. Since they don't kill humans, they spend more time on mental enhancement, and I don't think it would be fair for Nicole, since she wouldn't be able to participate in that. What do you think, Edward?"

"I personally, think that Nicole would add a fresh touch to the family. I was able to read her mind before Carlisle gave her all of the painkillers, and she has a very insightful mind. I think she will go on to do great things."

Esme smiled. "You know my answer, I think."

I nodded. "Yes."

"Carlisle's turn!" Alice squealed. "And then me!"

Carlisle turned over to me. "Angela, Ben, I know it's not my place to decide, but I will tell you that I want to change her. None of my patients have ever died, except back around the time when I changed Edward. Everyone was dying then, of the Spanish Influenza, of complications arising from the Influenza, for a lot of reasons. Letting Nicole die, will be like being back there. And I'm sure we could find a place for Nicole. A human life is a human life, after all."

I barely had any time to reflect on his words, before Alice started talking. "I have looked in the future, and I have seen that by changing Nicole, we will end more lives than we will save." My eyes widened, horrified. Surely Nicole wouldn't... I saw Edward nod out of the corner of my eye, and I stiffened. Ben seemed to be shocked, as well.

"But, why?" he asked.

"She will have a hard time adjusting to our lifestyle. That was clear from my vision. But she won't attack anyone, immediately. After twenty or so years, she meets a young man, who I am sure would have been her soulmate, had she lived. This man's blood is like a siren call, similar to how Bella was to Edward. The difference in the situation is that Edward has had much more experience with resistance, and Nicole wouldn't have had time to build up that much defense. Additionally, she was too young to experience love. Her mind couldn't handle it. As a result, she does end up killing the man. She enjoys the taste so much, that she never stops attacking people." Alice looked over to Ben and me, sadly. "I'm sorry."

"Why were you so enthusiastic to tell us that?" I asked her incredulously.

"I couldn't see what had happened before. Sometime during Carlisle's explanation, I could tell that you were going to change your mind. Before that, all of the visions were a result of me making a decision to change her myself, in the middle of the night, when no one was here. But then, we never actually went to Pennsylvania, which is where this man lived. But if you had made the decision, we would have ended up going to Pennsylvania, and met this man."

"But since you saw that, couldn't you avoid Pennsylvania until this man died of natural causes?"

Alice shook her head. "He was only the first. Over the years, there will always be humans like him, who'll have that scent. It won't be this easy to predict every single time. I make mistakes, and I can slip at some point. Who knows what will happen then..."

I nodded. "There doesn't seem to be any other way, then," I whispered in a shaky voice.

Ben agreed with me. For the first time. Sobs shook my body, because it was at that moment that I realized that there was no way my little girl would make it. Jasper looked at me sadly.

"I'm sorry, Angela," he apologized. "I would make you feel better, but over the years, I've observed that numbing the pain now will only make it worse when you finally feel it."

Ben came over to me, and clumsily placed his arm across my shoulders. "We'll make it through, Ang," he whispered. I nodded, and went to sit by the window.

The sunlight was dazzling, and I was pleased to see that the clouds had finally parted. It was a small comfort in my crumbling world. After a while, I was aware that someone was standing over me.

It was Esme. The little sunlight that illuminated her features made her skin sparkle like diamonds. I knew it was rude to stare, but I still found it difficult to look away. I now knew why all of the Cullens skipped school on sunny days.

Esme took my hand and smiled at me. "Angela, don't be sad. You did what I would have done. Sacrificing your own happiness so that Nicole doesn't have to deal with the pain of being a child forever is, in my eyes, a heroic thing to do. I am, personally, very proud that you could see our family, and know that this isn't the right environment for a five-year-old. It will be okay."

I looked up into her eyes, and finally felt as if I had found the answer I needed. "Thank you," I whispered, my voice still hoarse from all of the crying.

"Anytime," Esme told me.

* * *

**A/N: I know I said I'd update on Friday, but there was another spontaneous vacation thing and it just wasn't possible. I'm sorry. But I'm giving you two chapters today, so that should make up for it, right?**

**I had an awesome time on vacation. My friends and I went to this concert and one of the performers threw me a rose. It was like something out of a movie! I'm still swooning inside...**

**Anyway, I really hope you review...**


	8. Strong

Remembered

Chapter One: ReunionNow that the decision was set, and I knew that my time with Nicole was severely limited, I loathed to leave her for even the few hours that it would take to go and pick up Natalie and Nathan. Bella and Rosalie offered to go and pick them up for me, but I declined.

"That's a nice offer," I said softly, cradling one of Nicole's small hands in my own, "but they don't like strangers. And Michelle and Ronald might ask questions if they see you picking them up instead of us."

The Cullens seemed to see the logic in the situation and didn't say any more.

A few minutes before we left, Alice tossed Ben a set of car keys. _Our_ car keys, to be more exact. "Stay on the back roads," she instructed. "If you take the interstate, you will get a lot of traffic. There's going to be a huge accident in...three...two...one...it's only going to get worse from now until one o'clock."

It was strange for me to hear this, and I could see in Ben's face that he felt the same way. Edward gave Alice a strange look, and he said something extremely fast, so quickly that I could not comprehend his words. I doubted I was meant to hear it anyway.

"Sorry, Angela, Ben," Alice apologized. "I'm not accustomed to keeping up the charade at home. Ask Bella, for instance."

Bella smiled sheepishly. "My memories are dim," she began, "but I seem to recall something about you running down the stairs at full vampire speed and giving me a hug the first time I came to your house, despite Edward's warnings about not startling me."

I laughed, feeling truly happy for the first time in what felt like ages. It seemed to be just like Alice to do that.

Esme smiled at my reaction. "Go and spend time with your other children," she instructed gently. "If anything changes, we'll have either Alice or Bella call you."

This made me feel better. Esme was right—I had to go spend time with Nathan and Natalie. Who knew what they were thinking? Well, Edward probably could find out if he wanted to, but still. If Nicole was going to wake up, I would be told in advance. And I would have tons of time with her tomorrow after we dropped the kids at the day care Rosalie checked out for us.

---

Ben rang the doorbell as we stood outside the Millers' doorway.

"Angela! Ben! The kids were asking for you all the time," Michelle exclaimed. Then, in a more subdued tone, she whispered, "I'm so sorry about Nicole. We never meant for..."

"It's fine, Michelle," I interrupted. "Accidents happen."

She opened her mouth to say more, but then Nathan and Natalie came rushing over to the doorway.

"Mommy! Daddy!" they shouted happily. I was overjoyed to see them.

"Where's Nikki?" Nathan asked, looking around for his sister. I looked over at Ben I wasn't ready to answer this question just yet.

Ben said something softly to Nathan and Natalie that I did not catch.

"I want to talk to Nikki!" Natalie wailed. "I have a really nice story to tell! Nikki!"

"Nikki's not here right now," Ben said softly. And I turned away, afraid to let them see the tears that were currently flowing down my face. I had to be strong.

Ben said something else, but I didn't catch it. I was grateful for that. I was sure that I didn't want to hear whatever it was that he'd said.

Ben and I took the kids out for an early lunch before taking them to the toy store and getting them something to take their minds off of Nicole's whereabouts. While Ben paid Nathan's toy cars and Natalie's doll, I found a teddy bear that Nicole had been begging me to buy her a week before. I had told her that since I had bought her a new doll house only a couple of weeks ago, she didn't need another toy so soon. Now I wished I had acceded to her request. I bought the bear now, planning to give it to her when she woke up, imagining her smile.

Then we went to the movies. I couldn't help but cry all through the movie, even though it was a happy one about singing chipmunks, because I felt that Nicole deserved to be there too. Ben comforted me to the best of his ability, but I could tell that he was upset too. For the kids' sake, I tried not to sob too loudly since they didn't need to hear that.

Later that evening, after putting Natalie and Nicole to bed, Ben and I sorted all of the photographs of the children. All photographs that had Nicole anywhere in them went into three of our five photograph albums. The other two did not have Nicole in them at all. I felt it was necessary to make that distinction, since it would be awful to be looking at pictures sometime in the future, and then having her face jump out when I would be least expecting it. No, this was much easier.

"Ang, will you be okay?" Ben inquired softly. "I know this must be really hard for you. I know it is for me, and you were always so much more compassionate than I was—"

I cut him off. "Ben, this has nothing to do with compassion. It's going to be hard all around."

Those were the last words we spoke that night. The next morning, we would drop Nathan and Nicole off at day care, and then spend some time with Nicole at the Cullens' place.

---

It continued like that for a few days, until Alice suddenly made a soft announcement while Ben and I were discussing something with Carlisle.

"It's almost time."

Those three words turned my world upside-down. Again.

* * *

**A/N: And the next chapter is the last one. Before the sequel.... I hope you enjoyed. Leave me some love!!!**


	9. I will always remember you

**A/N: So here it is! The last chapter! Drop me a review to let me know what you thought, and the sequel should be up soon. Put this on StoryAlert if you want to know when it's up. I'll post an author's note then so that you can know. It will be called _A Promise Not Kept _and it will be about Nicole and Nathan after a little more than ten years. **

Ben and I rushed to Nicole's bedside, anxiously awaiting a sign that she would wake up—a fluttering of her eyelids, perhaps, or maybe a change in the monotonous readouts from the various machinery.

But it was quite sudden, actually.

She opened her eyes, blinked twice, and then looked about the room. "Mommy, Daddy, where am I?" she asked. I noticed that the Cullens had deserted the room to try and give us some privacy, though I was fairly certain that wasn't possible, what with their hearing, mind-reading, and psychic cababilities.

"You're sick, sweetheart. This is the doctor's house. You've been here for a while," I told her, trying to keep things as gentle as possible.

"Where are Natalie and Nathan?" she asked then.

"They weren't allowed to come here," Ben explained. "Little kids aren't usually allowed here."

"Will I get to see them again?"

Nicole was truly the brightest of my three children. Natalie was obviously going to grow up to be beautiful. Nathan was already quite athletic for his age. Nicole had the brains. While Nicole and Natalie looked the same now, I could tell that Natalie's hair was thicker, her eyelashes were longer, and her face always managed to remain much cleaner than Nicole's. It had always made me happy that each of my children had their own little things that made them special, even if they were triplets.

So naturally, since Nicole was the intelligent one, it would be her that would ask all of the hard questions.

Ben and I exchanged nervous glances. Should we tell her the truth, that her brother and sister were forever lost to her, or should we tell her that she would see them again, and make sure her final hours were happy. There was barely any competition. The happiness won out.

"Yes, sweetie. When you get better, I promise they'll visit."

Nicole smiled, appeased. She continued to ask a few more questions, which Ben and I answered for her, and then before we knew it, our hour was up. Her eyes closed; she fought it but was unsuccessful. And she drifted into slumber, the deepest slumber a person would ever know.

I clutched Ben's hand as I stared at my daughter's face for the last time. Later today, Carlisle would place her in her coffin and it would be nailed shut, never to be opened again. I couldn't stand the idea of Nicole being shut up in a box and dumped in the ground, almost like a piece of trash, but it was the way funerals worked. I began to doubt whether or not I had made the right choice by refusing Carlisle's offer to change her. Anything would be better than the agony of burying my little girl.

"Goodbye," I whispered. Somehow, the words made her death more firm in my mind. More absolute. And I didn't want it that way. I wanted Nicole back. A huge wave of despair overcame me as I contemplated the fact that I would never again be able to hear my girl talk to me, that I would never again be able to hold her, that I would never be able to watch her grow up. Ben seemed to sense my growing discomfort with the situation and held my hand tighter. Jasper also adjusted the climate of the room so that it would calm me down. That was probably a good thing. I was on the verge of having a nervous breakdown.

A cold arm wiped the tears from my eyes and offered me a tissue.

"It will be okay," Esme said consolingly. "It might seem impossible now, but one day it will all be better, I promise."

She was right. It _did _seem impossible now.

"We will make all the arrangements for the funeral," Edward told me. "Don't worry, Angela. If there's anything we can do to make your life easier, please don't hesitate to ask."

_Thank you_, I thought fervently. I was in no condition to articulate anything. If I did, I would lose what little control I had over myself right now.

But as it turned out, I lost control anyway. And I sank deeper, deeper, deeper into the pool of sorrow. Several hands reached out to try and save me, but I was beyond all of them at the moment, in a dark abyss reserved for me and me only.

"Let her do what she must," Carlisle's steady voice said, somewhere faraway. "She will be better for it in the end." And those helping hands disappeared. In this moment, I was truly alone, too far gone for even Ben to rescue me from.

I didn't know how long it had been since I had last talked to Nicole. I didn't know if it'd been hours, days, weeks, or even months. For both Ben and me, time had ceased to have any value, to have any meaning. The only time we pretended to care was when we were with our human friends or our children. But most of the time, we were not.

Edward had been true to his word, and the funeral arrangements had been completed with no trouble or expense on our part. In the past I would have protested at this, but I just didn't care right now. It was immaterial.

Alice had caught up with Ben and me this morning to ensure our funeral attire was satisfactory. She had purchased clothing for the entire family, unable to resist shopping even for such a somber event. I hadn't even seen the clothes through the blur of the tears that seemed to always be present in my eyes, ready to fall at the slightest provocation.

The minister began his speech, but I didn't hear a single word of it. Instead, I thought back to before all of this had happened. To how I had felt when I discovered I was pregnant with triplets. To how I felt when I first held my children in my arms. To how the kids learned to walk and talk. To how they had finally learned to read...could it have only been a few weeks ago? And despite myself, I found my lips turning up into a smile. It had been so long since the last time I had smiled, that the sensation felt extremely strange to me.

Nathan and Natalie shifted in their seats beside me.

Ben and I hadn't been able to tell them why they were here, but I could see their little heads putting it together as the minister rambled on. They knew what funerals were, as Ben's father had died a couple years back from cancer, but I don't think they had known until now that _this _funeral was for their sister.

"Is Nicole in the box, Mommy?" Natalie whispered.

"Yes," I answered, choking on my words. "Yes, she is."

Ben placed his arm around me and I leaned into him. A few minutes later, the minister stopped talking, since the coffin was being lowered into the ground. It was over.

Our family and friends all converged upon us then, offering condolences and sympathy. I wanted nothing more than to leave them behind and curl up in a ball somewhere, but I had to appear composed.

An hour later, they were gone, leaving only Ben, Natalie, Nathan, and myself standing in the cemetery. I placed a bouquet of tulips on Nicole's gravestone—they were her favorite flower—and blew her one last kiss. Ben did the same.

Then we looked at our kids, and I mean _truly _looked at them, something we had neglected to do since the accident. The upset in their eyes was overwhelming. They shouldn't have had to feel pain like this. And then I vowed to stop them from hurting over their sister. As far as they knew now, she was never born. I'd tell them one day...

As we drove away, I saw a crowd of people around Nicole's grave, that I could have sworn hadn't been there a moment before. The sun came out for a split-second, and they all looked up, basking in their warm rays. I could have sworn that their skin was scintillating, almost as if it was diamond, and not skin at all. But before I could take a closer look, they were gone, leaving nothing behind but more flowers and a slight breeze.

_Goodbye, Nicole. _I thought. _I will always remember you. _

**A/N: I hope you review and stay tuned for _A Promise Not Kept_! I am really excited about writing that, and I hope you guys like it. If you're looking for something to read while you wait for that, I can definitely recommend _Expectations and Other Moving Pieces _by chrometurtle. It's an Edward/Bella story, and it had me in tears every chapter. And I am the type of person that barely ever cries. The effect of having three guy cousins (who are more like brothers than cousins) that are all the same age as you shows right there. But this story was so moving that I burst into fresh tears each chapter. Even if you don't like sad stuff that much (like me), give it a chance and I can guarantee you won't regret it! **


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